Waiting
by Ajm3665
Summary: After the Thanksgiving Battle, Diana stays in Perdido Beach, causing Caine to find an interest in someone else he never thought of in that way before. Disclaimer: I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

**This is for the contest by EvilOk. Possible oneshot, unless anybody wants more? Anyway, enjoy! Reviews of any kind are very welcome.**

"She can stay here," Astrid said, stepping in front of Diana. The Thanksgiving Battle was essentially over. Orc and Drake were still off to the side, fighting, but other than that all the fighting had ceased. Plus, Sam and Caine survived the poof.

"Can you, Diana?" Caine asked, almost mocking Astrid.

Diana looked back and forth between Sam and Caine. Two brothers, one good and one evil. Both had survived the poof. She wasn't sure if that was for better or worse.

"Goodbye, Caine," Diana spat. And it felt good. She could stay here in Perdido Beach, start anew. And if Caine truly cared, he'd come back for her. For now, though, she had to do what was best for her; and that was staying here, with Sam and Astrid. It'd be a blessing to get away from Caine and that psycho Drake.

Caine's gaze became hard and cold. Suddenly he spun around, pretending like he didn't care, and walked away. He made a silent promise that he wouldn't just leave Diana here. He'd come back for her. They just better wait and see…

* * *

It'd been days since Caine was last in Perdido Beach. Days since he last saw Diana. It pained him to think that she had just agreed to leave him. What, like he wasn't good enough, all of a sudden? Before he had thought that maybe, just maybe, they could be something—a couple of sorts.

He loved Diana. There was no denying that fact. Did she love him, though? She was always being rude and playing hard to get, but that was just how Diana operated.

The last few days had been rough. He had walked and walked and walked, not quite prepared to go back to Coates Academy. The others were waiting for him there, but he just couldn't go back yet. Not without Diana.

Pack Leader came by him the other day, asking Caine to follow him to that thing called the Darkness. Caine refused and used his powers to throw Pack Leader away. He didn't want to be bothered now. His mind was full of plenty other thoughts. It was partly Astrid's fault that Diana stayed. She was the one to step in and say in her annoying voice_: She can stay here. _Caine could still picture the smug look on her face she had when she said that.

Disgusting.

What did his long-lost-brother see in her, anyway? He was all obsessed with Astrid the Genius, or something, and what was so great about her? Okay, so she _was _hot, even Caine had to admit that. That blond hair was long and beautiful, and those piercing blue eyes were enough to cause your insides to melt and your heart to hammer.

But that was it. There was _no _silver lining to dating Astrid. Astrid was nothing. In fact, Caine was tempted to stomp into Perdido Beach and show Astrid how much power he had over her and how much he disliked her.

When the thought came into his head, he couldn't shake it. Astrid deserved to pay for keeping Diana in Perdido Beach. Diana was _his. _He'd have to show Astrid that.

Caine took a sudden turn in direction, towards Perdido Beach.

Just a few hours later, Caine passed by Ralph's. A few kids tried to run in front of him and tell him not to pass, but he just flung them away with his powers.

On the outskirts of the town, a splurge of luck seemed to come over him. Clearly visible was Astrid with her long blond hair. She was walking with her stupid brother. She passed by some other girl and they both waved at each other and stopped for a few seconds of small talk. The second girl walked away, and Astrid plus her brother continued on into a house.

Making sure no one was around to see him, Caine swiftly made his way to the house. So far, so good. No one had seen him. Now, all he had to do was hope that Sam wasn't home.

He contemplating knocking on the door; but then thought of how stupid of an entrance that was. Caine wasn't going to knock. No, he was just going to barge in.

He flung the door open with his powers, but not too hard so it was still attached to the hinges. He swung it closed behind him.

Little Pete was seated at the table, playing with a hand held game. Astrid came running out of the hall, wondering what the ruckus was. When she saw Caine, her heart nearly stopped. By the look of fear in her eyes, Caine could tell that they were all alone. No one else was home. He let out an animalistic laugh.

"Where is she, Astrid?" Caine barked suddenly. He walked slowly and deliberately towards her.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. We all know who you are, Astrid the Genius. Where. Is. She."

She blinked. With every word he spoke, Caine was stepping closer and closer to her. Even now he was just mere feet away from her.

"You're a monster, Caine. Just leave Diana alone. She doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. If you know what's best for you I suggest you leave this town immediately. Sam will be home any minute now."

"Oh, I'm sure he will be," Caine faked fright, stepping closer to her. Only inches apart, now. "Listen, Astrid. I know you're scared of me." His voice turned into a whisper, causing Astrid to shiver. He was now so close that she could feel his warm breath on her skin. "You know what I could do to you."

"I'm not scared," Astrid attempted to defend herself. She was now backed up against a wall and Caine was uncomfortably close, his beautiful brown eyes peering into hers. Somehow, she managed to get trapped in his strong gaze.

"Astrid…" He lost his train of thought. He'd never been this close to her before, never felt her breath on his skin.

"Caine." Astrid whispered.

Her whispering was soft. Her mouth was open just a little, but not out of fear anymore. It was like she was…waiting for something.

"I…want Diana." Caine tried to say as he found his body moving closer to Astrid's. A few strands of hair were hovering over her eye and down her face. He used his fingers to move them out of the way and place them behind her ear. Touching her skin caused many jolts of excitement to surge through his body.

"Shut up," Astrid told him.

Caine shut up. Instead of talking, he leaned down and kissed her intensely. It was better, much better than the kiss he had shared with Diana. There was more passion in this, more excitement. Astrid kissed him back, unbelieving what she was doing and yet cherishing this very moment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks again to everyone for the previous reviews!**

Astrid found herself hungry for more. She kissed Caine harder than before, feeling his soft lips press even harder onto hers.

_Oh, God, what am I doing? _She thought to herself. But as she did, she kept on kissing Caine. There was something so powerful, so delicious about their kiss. It wasn't like a normal kiss, not like the ones she shared with Sam. This kiss was like their souls were merging into one. Never before had she experienced something so exhilarating.

Still, fighting every urge in her aching body, she managed to place her hands on Caine's chest, pushing him away. He stumbled back a few steps. His eyes remained on hers. Nothing fazed him; Caine walked forward, trying to kiss her again.

"No," she spoke, her voice muffled. Caine was so close to her. His breathing was heavy, taking in the breaths he missed while they were kissing. Astrid was tempted to reach her hands up and touch Caine's perfectly molded face. He really was perfect. Perfectly toned body, perfect face, perfect eyes, perfect hair, and a fantastic kisser, she had just realized.

He was also a sick, sociopathic freak.

"Sam's coming home," she whispered. He was so close to her, she didn't need to speak any louder.

"So what?" he leaned down, ready to kiss her again.

"So…I love…" she trailed off. Their lips were so close to touching. Their bodies were extremely close as well. She knew that if he were to kiss her again, right now, that would be it. She'd give in. He was a sick freak, she knew that, and she didn't understand what was coming over her. He wasn't the type of person she'd ever go for at all. But she felt like she needed to be with him or she would explode into a million tiny little pieces. What was going on with her? Was she just as sick and sociopathic as him, she just hadn't realized it?

"Stop." It was the faintest sound, the faintest voice, but both Astrid and Caine heard it. Caine turned around and Astrid looked forward. Standing in front of them was Little Pete. While everything was going on, Astrid had completely forgotten about him. It was such a shock to hear him speak.

Astrid rushed to Little Pete and enveloped him in a hug. She didn't look at Caine. "Get out. Please, Caine. I can't do this right now. I can't…"

"I understand," he spoke quietly. "Meet me later tonight. We need to talk about what happened."

"Caine, you need to leave Perdido Beach. If one person sees you, it'll be madness."

"I don't care. Astrid, that kiss. It made me feel different. I don't know how to describe it. We need to do it again. My body feels weakened now that we've stopped." Everything Caine was saying was true. Nothing else seemed important anymore. Forget Diana, forget Drake, forget taking over Perdido Beach, if he could kiss Astrid again everything would be okay.

Unfortunately, Astrid wasn't sure how she felt about it. Disgusted with herself, and yet completely blissful. Caine's body pressed up against hers had caused so much inner turmoil within her.

"On the beach," she told Caine, finally turning around and looking at him, still holding Little Pete in her arms. "Later tonight. You can hide by some rocks or something until I get there."

Wordlessly, Caine made his way to the front door. Then, he thought better of it and went out the back door instead, so he could sneak through some backyards and not be seen. Astrid watched him walk away, longing for his touch again.

Just as Caine disappeared from sight, the front door opened. Sam walked in.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile. He eyed her hugging Little Pete strangely. "What are you doing?"

Chuckling, Astrid let go of Little Pete. He walked back over to the kitchen table, playing his game again. "We were just having a special moment, I guess," she lied. It was difficult for her to lie. She had to avoid Sam's gaze out of fear that he'd suspect she wasn't telling the truth. Luckily, he seemed too distracted to notice.

"Well, good." Sam scratched his head awkwardly.

It was the wrong thing to do, and she knew it, but Astrid stepped forward. She kissed Sam with all the force inside of her.

It was a good kiss. There was nothing wrong with it. But it just wasn't the same as it was with Caine. With Caine, she felt almost hungry for more. With Sam, the kiss was just enough. She pulled away from him.

"What was that for?" he asked with a goofy grin.

"Just comparing." She knew Sam would take it as a joke.

Sam laughed. "Oh, well I'm sure I won."

"Believe what you want," Astrid joked back and then turned and walked away.

* * *

Howard happened to be walking by when he saw Caine. It looked like he was…hiding? No, not Caine. But as he looked closer he was more positive than ever that it was Caine.

The sun was starting to set. Howard was lucky to be out at exactly the right time and see Caine hiding behind a large pile of rocks he must have moved onto the beach with his telekinetic powers. It seemed to have worked, though. Nobody had seen him so far. Howard figured he must've been just extremely perceptive to see him.

Caine was generally all the way at the end of the beach, by the cliff where the Clifftop was located. Howard, while walking around, just happened to drop something near the edge. He also happened to look down the cliff and—whoa!—there was Caine.

At first, he thought he'd go run and get Edilio and tell him Caine was in Perdido Beach. But then, he had a better idea. If he were to go tell Edilio that Caine was here, then Edilio and all those guys with guns would come up and play the big hero. But if Howard were to do something, then he could make him and Orc seem like the big heroes.

So, Howard got down and laid down at the edge of the cliff, silently looking over, watching Caine, and waiting for something to happen.

* * *

Caine thought he was pretty securely hidden. At the end of the beach, by the cliff, where no one went. Rocks covering him up in case anybody came down the beach this way. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do until later that night, when Astrid came.

He couldn't get his mind off of that kiss, off of her lips.

Amazing. Earlier today he was disgusted by just the thought of Astrid, and now all of his thoughts were about him and her kissing, him and her being close yet again. It had to happen again. He wouldn't rest until it did. How could he? He couldn't help but wonder if Astrid was with Sam right now. Astrid loved him, or at least claimed to. Caine was beginning to think there was a lot more to that claim than he'd originally thought.

It was a long wait for the sun to come down. Then it seemed he had to wait forever for Astrid to come. He figured it was probably around eleven when Astrid finally showed up.

"Caine?" she was calling quietly. She carried around a small flashlight.

"What took you so long," he asked angrily, stepping out from behind the rocks. Astrid gasped, as if frightened. Caine couldn't help but laugh.

"I had to make sure Sam and Little Pete were completely out. Plus, we stay with Mary and John now, so I had to wait until John came home and fell asleep and for Mary to go to her shift at the daycare."

"Fine, whatever," Caine dismissed her. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Oh, really? You're glad? I thought sociopaths didn't feel anything."

"Why do you talk to me like that?" Caine asked. "You don't even know anything about me."

"I know you have an undeniable taste for control and power. That you want to become some sort of twisted dictator."

"Oh, like you're so much better than me."

"I am."

"Then why are you here?"

Astrid didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say. Why was she here? To kiss Caine again? She shouldn't let her mind get taken over by those thoughts. If she thought there was any kind of hope for a relationship between her and Caine, then things would be different. But there was no hope. Caine was incapable of love.

But then, he loved Diana didn't he? At least, he claimed to.

"Astrid." Caine started again. "Try and tell me that you didn't feel something when we kissed."

She sighed. "Fine. I felt something. It was powerful. Enticing. It left me wanting so much more. That doesn't matter, though. It was wrong. It'll never happen again."

Caine looked sad. His eyes seemed to darken. And Astrid felt herself moving towards him. Before she knew what was going on, she was kissing him. Instantly, there was a shift in his mood. He stood up straighter and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her more powerfully. Astrid couldn't help but realize there might be something more to this, that she might actually have…feelings for Caine. What kind of feelings, she wasn't sure of yet, but there was definitely something there.

And as they kissed again, unable to stop, Howard watched them from above with complete shock.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for the reviews! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

"Astrid?" Caine whispered as they pulled apart. They stayed close together though, so close. He was holding her and their foreheads were touching. The only light around them was the faint light of Astrid's flashlight still in her hand. Still, in the darkness, Caine could see Astrid's piercing blue eyes.

"Yeah?" she whispered back. Her whispers sent chills down Caine's spine, just as his did to hers.

"What are we going to do?"

"Way to ruin the moment," Astrid said, pulling away, out of his grasp. Already he began to miss the warm touch of her skin.

"What? It's an understandable question. I'm not the kind of guy to jump to conclusions, or whatever, but we have to do something."

"And what do you suggest?"

"I don't know." He remained silent for several seconds. "I always thought it was Diana. She was hot and sassy, but I loved her. She left me, and I had the goal in mind of getting her back. But now, Astrid, things have changed."

She took a shaky breath. "I feel the same way. I used to think about Sam constantly. And now…"

"Come with me. Back to Coates. We can be together."

"With that psycho Drake there? I don't think so!"

"I have control over him."

"For how long? How long until he turns on you and tries to overpower you?"

"You sound like Diana," he groaned.

"Well then she was right!"

Suddenly fuming, Caine spun around and used his powers to create a massive wave in the ocean, the only one it's had since the coming of the FAYZ. He took a few deep breaths.

"I can't stay here," he told Astrid. That was the truth. Sam was here, and everyone in Perdido Beach hated him. If he were to claim he was staying, there would be hell to pay. Not that he couldn't kill anybody who didn't want him to stay, but that was a last resort at this point.

"Then maybe it's for the best. Maybe we go our separate ways."

Caine couldn't respond. His heart fell like pumping through his chest. It hurt to hear her utter those words. What if she was right, though? They were totally different people; maybe they didn't belong together.

The words that next came out of Astrid's mouth were astounding and beautiful. "But I don't want to be apart."

It was obvious to him, in that moment. He had her. She was his. She'd developed some kind of feelings for him, despite them only having kissed a couple times. Well, good. Because he had feelings for her too, feelings that he couldn't begin to try explain. They were better than anything he'd ever experienced, though.

Astrid continued. "I can't stay with you at Coates. I may…feel something for you, Caine, but I absolutely hate the twisted psychopath inside of you, and the FAYZ seems to bring it out in you. I won't be around that."

"I can't stay here. Sam would kill me if he found out."

"Oh, God, Sam," Astrid shook her head. "I completely forgot about him. What am I going to do? How in the world do I explain this to him? No matter what, I have to try and tell him. He deserves the truth."

"No!" Caine quickly argued. "If Sam knows, we don't know what he'd do."

"Caine, he'd never hurt me. He wouldn't hurt you, either, not if I asked him not to."

"Oh, well that's great!" Caine threw his arms up in the air. "You're going to use Sam. Because he's so hopelessly in love with you, you'll use him to not attack you or me."

"You don't have to be so sardonic. I don't know what else to do. I'm trying to think of a good solution that'll bring us together."

"There is no solution," Caine admitted. "Maybe we're doomed."

Now, Astrid was hurt. Doomed was not what she wanted to be. She wanted to be with Caine. The words sounded strange in her head, but they were true. And maybe, just maybe, she could change him; make him into a good man.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "This whole thing is just a real sudden change, you know? Who could've guessed that I would have fallen for Astrid the Genius?"

"Fallen?" Astrid questioned, her heart skipping a beat. She felt lucky that her flashlight was pointed at the ground so she couldn't see his eyes, because if they met hers surely she'd be blushing right now, and that would be embarrassing.

"I can't help it."

"What if we…left?" Astrid suggested.

"Left what? We're trapped in the FAYZ."

"There are still unexplored parts of the FAYZ, as far as we know, though. Lake Tramonto, Stefano Rey National Park, and countless other places. We could go to any of them."

"What if it's dangerous? Coyotes could be anywhere, you know. And this Darkness thing…well, I don't know what to make of it."

She paused. "I never thought I'd say this to you, but it'd be worth the risk."

Caine stepped forward and took her free hand in his. Her touch was amazing, causing him to feel connected to her in every way possible. They were moving along so fast, talking about essentially running away together, and it felt right. He felt like he could change for Astrid. Nothing else mattered in this moment except for him and her.

As they touched silently, Astrid wondered if it would work. Could Caine possibly leave most of the FAYZ behind, forget about taking over? It didn't sound like something he'd be capable of.

"What about your brother?" Caine asked.

Despite Astrid's newfound feelings and motivations towards Caine, she couldn't just forget about Little Pete. He was her responsibility. "He'd have to come with us."

Caine nodded. "I expected as much. They'd come after us, you know? Probably think I kidnapped you or something."

"No doubt."

"And what do we do when they find us?"

"They'll never find us, Caine," Astrid spoke as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "They'll never find us if we don't want to be found."

* * *

Howard ran into Sam's house, not caring who else was in there or awake. He ran upstairs, nearly tripping over his own feet. He needed to get to Sam, and now. Earlier, when he saw Caine and Astrid kissing, that was when he left and ran his way to this house without stopping.

One thing he knew for sure was that he was confused. Was Astrid kissing Caine against her will? He couldn't exactly hear their conversation before, so he wasn't sure. Still. He needed to get to Sam immediately.

He burst into the room. Sam sat up instantly, his arms extended, ready to shoot a beam of light.

"Don't!" Howard yelled.

"Howard?" Sam shouted. He reached over and turned on a light. "What are you doing in here, in my room?"

"There's…" Howard couldn't spit out the words. What could he say? _Yeah, your girlfriend is making out with you brother/enemy. _No, that wouldn't work.

"Howard, what?"

"Caine's in Perdido Beach," he decided on saying.

"What?! Where? Bring me to him right now." Sam got up and threw on a shirt and some pants, his heart beginning to race. Caine was in Perdido Beach. That was anything but a good sign. He began to think that he would have to do anything to stop Caine from wreaking havoc. He would try and stop Caine, no matter what.


	4. Chapter 4

Caine and Astrid had decided there was no other option. They were going to try and escape the madness that was Perdido Beach and Coates Academy and just run off. She wasn't sure if it was the brightest idea, or if it would even work, but she had hope and that was all that mattered. If she could be with Caine, that was the most important thing.

Astrid wished she could exactly pinpoint where her feelings for him came from. It was unexplainable and made absolutely no sense. But in her gut, she knew it was right.

Neither wanted to waste any time. They were going to leave tonight. Before that could happen, though, Astrid had to run home and get Little Pete. Caine told her he'd meet her outside of Perdido Beach, by Ralph's. She warned him there'd be guards there, but Caine promised her he'd take care of it. She took his promise to heart and knew that nothing would stand in Caine's way of them actually being together.

Something went wrong, something extremely unfortunate.

While walking the streets, Astrid turned her flashlight off. The streetlights were on and gave enough light. As she was walking, though, she heard the loud sound of pounding footsteps against the ground straight ahead of her, coming towards her. She was trying to think if she should run or hide or do anything, but before she could find the answer she saw the two people running towards her.

Howard and Sam.

"Astrid?" Sam yelled, stopping in front of her. He was breathing heavy, having run all the way from the house to here. Howard stopped right by his side, looking awkwardly at Astrid. "What are you…doing here?" he took a deep breath in the middle of the question.

_Quick, think of something! _Astrid pressured herself. Unfortunately, her mind came up blank.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" she avoided the question. Howard remained silent.

"Caine's here. Howard saw him. Get back to the house immediately, Astrid; we don't know how dangerous Caine is. I don't want you out here with him out here somewhere."

"I can take care of myself," she reassured him, when deep inside her mind started racing. Oh, God, no, please. Why was this happening now? She and Caine could actually have a chance, have something together. He could change for her and she could change for him. They'd be better off with each other. So why, _why, _did this have to happen now?

"Where's Caine?" Howard spoke up for the first time, staring at Astrid.

"How would I know? You go find him. Sam, be careful."

"Don't worry. I plan on finishing this, Astrid. This can't go on much longer."

Fear struck her heart. "You can't kill him!"

Sam frowned. "Why not?"

"Be-because that's not who you are," she recovered. "Capture him to lock him up or something, Sam, but you can't kill him."

Sam knew she was right. He couldn't kill Caine because that really wasn't who he was. But he had to do something. "We have to go," he told Astrid. "Howard, come on."

"No," Howard was defiant.

"Howard, you said-"

"She knows where Caine is," Howard nodded at Astrid.

Astrid's heart began pumping louder and louder and her palms were starting to get sweaty. No, Howard hadn't seen them, had he? Oh no, what was she going to _do?_

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She got mad at herself for stuttering, making herself sound like a fool. There was no way she was going to get out of this. Howard knew. She wasn't sure how, but he saw, and that was bad. No matter what, it was starting to look like she wouldn't get to Caine tonight.

"I s_aw _you together," Howard spat, almost menacingly. "I'll tell my boy Sam here what exactly I saw unless you tell me where he is."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked. "Astrid, you were with Caine?"

Astrid was able to figure out what Howard was saying. He hadn't told Sam about her and Caine kissing yet, but he would. Was he only insinuating that he wouldn't if she told them where he was, though? She had to take a chance, though. If there was the slightest possibility Howard wouldn't tell Sam about her and Caine, she had to take it.

"Fine, yeah, I met with Caine. He threatened me about finding Diana. He's got to be ripping through the town right now, looking for her. Check the plaza first. Sam, you have to hurry."

Sam looked at Howard, clearly confused, but Howard was too busy looking into Astrid's eyes, _seeing _if he could figure out the truth. After many grueling seconds, he sighed.

"Alright, Sam, let's go."

He believed her lie about where Caine was. Before she knew what was going to happen, Sam and Howard were running off in the direction of the plaza.

Astrid knew she had little time, less time than ever. There was no longer any time for her to run back and get Little Pete. She either needed to leave now with Caine or not leave at all. She looked back and forth in the direction of Ralph's and in the direction of where Pete was. Her heart was torn. What was she going to do?

* * *

Caine was waiting impatiently by Ralph's. Where was Astrid? She should _be _here by now, shouldn't she? Or was he just extremely impatient? Either way, he wanted her to hurry.

There had been four guards in Ralph's, each with guns. He'd knocked out all of them, making sure they weren't dead. Astrid wouldn't have liked that. He began pacing in front of the store, biting on his thumbnail. This had to work out, it _had _to.

One of the guards hadn't actually been knocked out, but Caine was too worried to notice. He laid in a position where his eyes were on Caine. His gun was just a little out of arms reach. He slid forward slowly, silently, until he could grab the gun. Then he laid there for a few more minutes. Caine was still pacing.

The guard started pointing the gun in the direction of Caine. _I can do this, _he willed himself over and over again. _I can be a hero here._

Suddenly, much to Caine's shock, there was a loud banging sound and then a sting of pain in his shoulder. It was so sudden, it knocked him down.

"Agh!" he cried out. He looked up and saw the kid who was still conscious. He raised the arm that hadn't been shot at and sent the kid flying through one of Ralph's windows. _That should take care of him, _he thought.

He started examining his wound. The bullet had only grazed his shoulder, not shot it or gone through it. Still, it stung and bled. It wasn't fatal, so he wasn't going to go to Lana, but he still wanted to get somewhere where he could attempt to bandage it.

Caine sat up and looked down the main road. Where was Astrid? He wanted her to get here immediately. Was she…no. Was she having second thoughts?

_Don't be stupid, _he thought. It was probably just taking longer than she'd expected to get Little Pete. Still, with this new wound on his shoulder he wanted her to arrive as soon as possible so they could leave Perdido Beach behind and start anew somewhere else in the FAYZ. All he could hope was that she arrived very soon.


	5. Chapter 5

"Caine!"

The voice was small and distant. So small and distant that at first Caine didn't even hear the person calling him. It was only after a few seconds later when she called his name again that he heard her.

When he heard the voice again he jumped to his feet, his heart beginning to beat harder and harder, his shoulder aching and throbbing. He couldn't tell who it was, but he held up his good arm and pointed the hand in that direction. If it was someone who was a danger to him (Sam, for instance), he'd have no choice but try and take him out and then run. He couldn't fight like this.

But as the person neared, he saw long beautiful blond hair. Definitely not Sam.

"Astrid," he said and they fell into a hug. She hit his shoulder, and he bit his tongue so he wouldn't make a sound in pain.

Astrid was no dummy. She felt the blood immediately. "Caine, what happened?!" The sheer worry that was in her eyes was adorable, Caine couldn't help but notice.

"Some guard," he nodded his head towards Ralph's. "Where's Little Pete?"

"There's no time. We have to go, leave now. Sam's looking for you. We have to get far away from here before he sends Brianna or Taylor or someone out searching for you."

"Astrid…" Caine shook his head. It was odd, the sensation he was getting in his chest. It was different and alien, something he'd never felt before. For once in his life, he felt the absolute need to be selfless rather than selfish. For once, he truly felt his beating heart. "You can go back. Then they'll only come after me. There's still time for you to keep this life and for me to leave."

"No," she shook her head defiantly.

"You have to-"

"I'm not going anywhere without you! We're in this now, Caine, together. There's no going back. And if you even for a second _believed _I would go back then you don't know me very well. I want to be with you."

Caine nodded. "We need to go."

"Are you going to be okay?" Astrid examined his shoulder.

"It's only a graze. I'll be fine; we just need to bandage it up later or something."

Astrid wasn't sure if they were even going to find any bandages where they were going, but she had hope. She and Caine turned and began walking away as fast as they could, occasionally glancing behind them to see if anyone was following.

* * *

The plaza was dark except for the streetlights, and empty. No sign of any trouble; especially no sign of Caine. Sam looked around frantically but found no one in sight.

"Damn!" Howard shouted. "She lied!"

"What are you talking about?" Sam finally asked. "What was with that whole deal with Astrid back there?"

Howard peered at Sam and then walked right in front of him and stopped, looking him in the eyes. "Sam, I'm going to tell you the truth, but you have to promise me you'll believe what I say, no matter how crazy it sounds. You can't overreact too much, also."

"Howard, we don't have time for-"

"I saw Caine and Astrid kissing, man. On the beach, they met and she had a flashlight and I couldn't hear them but suddenly they were kissing each other."

Sam didn't say anything at first. His first instinct was to think that Howard was lying. Why wouldn't he be? He'd lied plenty of times before, what made this time any different? But there was something about the way he was saying it, about the sincerity in his voice that told Sam this wasn't some lie. This was the truth.

"What…?" Sam shook his head. "No, what are you talking about? Astrid and Caine… But…"

"I know, Sam, it's hard to wrap your brain around, trust me, I've been there. But I _swear _it happened. I don't know the circumstances, maybe it was a…a mistake, or something."

"A mistake." Sam stated incredulously, remaining monotone and emotionless.

"Either way, we have to find out what's going on."

Sam nodded. Howard was right. He turned and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Howard yelled after him.

"To get Brianna. If anyone can find Caine quickly, it's her."

* * *

Caine and Astrid picked up their pace. They didn't want to be going too slow, just in case. Their plan was to follow the highway for a while and then head off to Lake Tramonto. They'd decided that would be the best place to go, and the farthest.

How long would it take to get there, though? They didn't really know. All they wanted was to get there before anyone came after them. Taking a car wasn't really an option (neither knew how to drive) so walking was their best bet.

What if someone came after them? Astrid didn't want to think about it. Hopefully no one would come after them. Hopefully.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks once more for the reviews! I hope you enjoy.**

Sam did, in fact, get Brianna, and she was now zipping through town, searching for any sign of Caine. Even though Sam didn't tell her _why, _he told her to keep an eye out for Astrid too. Brianna didn't know what was going on, but she sensed something juicy. Oh well, she'd ask about it later.

Everywhere she looked, she found no sign of Caine. Or Astrid. She searched all over town, running as fast as she could, ready to take Caine down if necessary. So far, no sign.

She decided she needed to broaden her search. Maybe search the highway, near Ralph's. She ran there in less than a few seconds. She stopped and looked around, seeing guards lying on the ground, unconscious. This definitely had Caine written all over it. She peered past Ralph's. She couldn't see anything but she just knew Caine was that way. Sam would want her to come back and tell him where he was and not just run into battle. That was what she should do.

Psh, yeah, okay.

Brianna ran towards where she figured Caine would be. In just a few seconds she was nearing on to figures in front of her. She sped around them and stopped in front of them. They both looked shocked for only a few seconds before they knew how she caught up to them. Of course, she was The Breeze, after all.

"Astrid?" Brianna asked incredulously. What was _Astrid _doing with Caine? Was he kidnapping her? If so, why in the world were they holding hands?

"Breeze," Astrid sighed, defeat poisoning her voice. It was all over, she couldn't help but feel. Brianna would then go and get Sam and they'd all come after Caine and her and it'd all be over. They failed.

"Astrid?" Brianna repeated. "What are you _doing _here?"

"Look," Caine started, taking a step forward.

"Don't move!" Brianna shouted, suddenly pulling a gun out of her backpack and pointing it at Caine. Clearly she was still very angry about what happened with her and the other freaks back at Coates.

"Please, don't shoot," Astrid found herself begging. "Please, Brianna, you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me."

"I… I care about Caine. Maybe more than I've ever cared about anybody."

So many thoughts ran through Brianna's head, and she didn't know which to address first. "But what about Sam?"

"I care about Sam, I do, I wish him the best. But it's just not the same."

"How could you care about a monster like this? Don't you know everything he's done?"

"I've made mistakes," Caine spoke up this time. "But believe me when I say, Brianna, I care about Astrid too. When we're together…everything's different. Everything's _good. _I've never felt this way before. I'm sorry about everything I put you through, Brianna, but please. You have to give us this chance. You have to know I'm serious. If I wasn't, I would've attacked you by now."

The words were definitely coming out of Caine's mouth, but to Brianna it didn't sound anything like Caine. No, Caine was a heartless sociopathic jerk. So why did he sound so sincere?

"So what?" Brianna asked, still pointing the gun at them. "You're going back to Coates?"

"No," Caine answered.

"Then where?"

"We can't tell you," Astrid interrupted. "I promise you, though; you won't see us again for a long time."

Brianna was struggling. What should she do? She couldn't go against Sam and just let them go, but Caine just sounded so sincere it made her confused. It was like he wasn't the Caine that they all knew before.

"Do you love him?" Brianna uttered, almost not able to get the words out.

How was Astrid supposed to answer that? They'd barely spent any time together, just kissed and talked a few times. Which, by the way, made Astrid sound like a complete idiot—running away with someone she'd only truly been with a few times.

"I could," Astrid answered as truly as she could.

Brianna started lowering her gun. "O-okay. I won't tell Sam I saw you unless I see you guys again. This is your one freebee. Astrid, I hope you're making the right decision."

And then Brianna was gone.

* * *

Sam burst into the house that was now the current home of Diana. She was sitting on a chair under a lamp, reading a book.

"Hello. Ever heard of knocking?" Diana asked.

"Did you care about Caine?"

She put the book down and looked up at Sam. "Excuse me?"

"Caine. Did you care about him?"

"Do we have to have this conversation now?" The look on Sam's face told her that yes, they did. "Fine, you want some cookies to snack on?"

"Don't joke around, Diana," Sam said. There were no more cookies. Everyone knew that. "Just tell me the truth."

Diana paused. "Yeah. I was with Caine. We were partners. Of course I cared. Just don't tell him that. He's too egotistic though. I can't be with him, not until he grows up and learns how to actually care about someone."

"Is he capable of love?"

"Sam, what is this about?"

"Just answer, Diana."

"I don't know if he loved me. Maybe he would, eventually. I like to believe so. That maybe deep inside that rough, handsome exterior there was something special in there that he could offer someone."

"Would you be mad if he moved on?" The words almost got caught in his throat.

Diana snorted. "Please. I'm actually surprised he hasn't come back for me yet. I'm sure he will."

_He already has, _Sam thought to himself. _But from what Howard said, it sounds like he found someone else._

Astrid. Sam wanted her to be safe, to be happy, no matter what that meant. If that meant Caine…well, Sam didn't understand, but what could he do about it? As long as he wasn't forcing her into anything, she must've had a clear idea to what she was doing. And he wasn't going to stand in the way.

* * *

Brianna found Sam later and told him there was no sign of Caine. He kept eyeing her strangely, as if he knew she was lying. And deep inside, Sam did know. He could tell that Brianna had found Caine, and not just Caine, but Astrid too. And if Brianna of all people wasn't telling him she found them, then clearly there was something between Caine and Astrid that was beyond anything before.

Astrid and Caine walked a bit before taking a break and resting. She checked on his wound, which, like he said, wasn't too bad. Still, she wished she had some bandages on her. He told her he'd be fine.

"I've dealt with worse," he said casually, with a little smirk.

Astrid couldn't help but smile at him. Then before they knew what was happening they were leaning in to a kiss that seemed to last forever and defy everything around them.

"I think that helped," Caine joked.

They stood up and then started walking again.

Astrid kept going over in her head what she told Brianna. _I could love him, _she had basically said, and she wasn't even sure when she came to that consensus. But it was true. Their first kiss opened up something inside of her and something inside of him too. They were different people, capable people. They could be together. And if she didn't already, one day she could be in love with him and he would be in love with her.


End file.
